Royal Rumble (1989)

World Wrestling Federation pay per view event

The 1989 Royal Rumble was the second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). After the inaugural event aired as a television special, the 1989 event aired on pay per view (PPV), thus becoming one of the WWF's original four annual PPV events, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, which would become recognized as the "Big Four". It took place on January 15, 1989, at The Summit in Houston, Texas. It centered on the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. Six matches were contested at the event, including two dark matches. The main event was the 1989 Royal Rumble match, which was won by Big John Studd, who last eliminated Ted DiBiase. Featured matches on the undercard were Jim Duggan and The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) defeating Dino Bravo and The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques and Raymond Rougeau) in a two out of three falls match, Rockin' Robin defeating Judy Martin to retain the WWF Women's Championship, and King Haku defeating Harley Race to retain his King of the Ring crown and cape.

In 1988, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) debuted the Royal Rumble match, although a non televised version had been tested in 1987. The match was a modified battle royal in which the participants entered at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. The inaugural match featured 20 wrestlers and the inaugural event was named after the match. A second event was scheduled to be held on January 15, 1989, at The Summit in Houston, Texas, thus establishing the Royal Rumble as an annual January event. The previous year's event had been shown as a television special on the USA Network. The 1989 event was instead aired on pay per view (PPV), being the first Royal Rumble to be broadcast on PPV, in turn becoming one of the promotion's original four pay per views, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, which would be dubbed the "Big Four". It was also the first to feature 30 wrestlers in the titular match, which is now the traditional number of participants.

The main feud heading into the Royal Rumble was between the 30 superstars from the entire World Wrestling Federation (WWF) who had selected to participate in the first ever 30 man Royal Rumble match. Big John Studd returned to WWF in late 1988 and turned babyface after not siding with former manager Bobby Heenan and began a feud with Heenan's client André the Giant. Both men signed to participate in the Royal Rumble match. Mr. Perfect, who joined WWF in the summer of 1988 was pushed as an undefeated heel wrestler, entering his name into the match. Bad News Brown was pushed as an arrogant powerful heel who was an enemy of face and heel wrestlers. As a result, he also entered his name into the match. Many tag team wrestlers also selected to participate in the match and selected their entry numbers. The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and WWF Champion Randy Savage) were involved in a feud with The Twin Towers (Akeem and The Big Boss Man) since November 1988. At Survivor Series, Mega Powers became the survivors for their team in Survivor Series match against Twin Towers. Since then, Mega Powers and Twin Towers had been at odds and both teams signed to participate in the Royal Rumble. The second feud heading into the event featured Jim Duggan against Dino Bravo and The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques and Raymond Rougeau). Since joining the WWF in early 1987, Duggan used an American patriot gimmick, coming to the ring with an American flag and feuding with non American wrestlers in the WWF roster (such as Nikolai Volkoff). In early 1989, Duggan began feuding with the French Canadians Bravo and the Rougeau brothers battling them with different partners. At a live event on January 6 in Montreal, Duggan teamed with Hulk Hogan and Ron Garvin to defeat Bravo and the Rougeaus. He was scheduled to battle Bravo and Rougeaus in a two out of three falls match at Royal Rumble, so he found partners in The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart). Hart Foundation and Rougeau Brothers had been feuding with each other since 1987. Rougeaus unsuccessfully challenged Harts several times for the WWF Tag Team Championship in summer of 1987 but did not become champions. They were in opposite teams against each other at Survivor Series 1988, where Bret eliminated Rougeau in the first place.

Before the event aired live on pay per view (PPV), Jim Powers defeated Barry Horowitz and Sam Houston defeated Steve Lombardi in dark matches.

The first televised match was a two out of three falls match between Jim Duggan and The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) vs. Dino Bravo and The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau). The powerful Neidhart and Bravo started the match. Duggan tagged in and Bravo ran to tag in Raymond. Duggan caught Raymond and connected with a scoop slam and an Old Glory. Duggan tagged in Bret Hart, who pinned Raymond with an inside cradle for a near fall. He got Raymond with a sunset flip pinfall and then he hit a diving crossbody for another near fall. Jacques tagged in and got a near fall with a sunset flip on Hart but Hart clotheslined Jacques and took him to the corner. Jacques' partners did his help but Neidhart grinded Bravo and Raymond by a shoulder block. Raymond pulled the rope down causing Hart to fall on the floor. Bravo hit a side suplex in the ring but didn't cover and instead tagged in Raymond who hit Hart with a Bombe de Rougeau and pinned him to get the first fall. Rougeau brothers continued to beat Hart, who was caught in Jacques' Boston crab. Hart managed to reach in his corner. Jacques tried to hit a bulldog on Hart but Hart countered it into an inverted atomic drop. Duggan tagged in and hit a scoop slam on Raymond, followed by a forearm smash by Neidhart. He hit Bravo with a shoulder block and Duggan slingshotted Hart on Raymond and hit an elbow drop on Raymond and pinned him, getting the second fall. Bravo tagged in and hit Duggan with an atomic drop, sending Duggan in the corner who tagged Hart. Hart followed it up with a backbreaker on Bravo but Raymond shoved him from the ropes when Hart tried to hit an elbow drop. All the six men began brawling. The referee was distracted. Duggan took advantage and hit Bravo with his 2x4. Hart pinned Bravo to get the third fall and the victory. The second match was for the WWF Women's Championship between defending champion Rockin' Robin and Judy Martin. Before the match began, former champion Sensational Sherri was in the ring and challenged the winner to a future championship match claiming neither were as much woman as she was, before joining Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse "The Body" Ventura at the announcers table. Robin and Martin had a lot of near falls during the match. However, in the end, Robin hit Martin with a diving crossbody and pinned her to win the match and retain the title. Next was a posedown between WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Warrior and Rick Rude. The winner had to be decided by fan reaction. There were four categories: "Double Biceps", "Best Abs", "Most Muscular" and "Medley of Poses". Warrior won in every posedown. Rude, however, attacked Warrior with his own metal workout bar. This posedown was so successful and so well received by the audience that it led to the launch of the World Bodybuilding Federation the following year. The third match was between King Haku and Harley Race. The winner of that match would win the "King of Wrestling" crown, held by Haku. Race began the match by hitting Haku with knee lifts and suplexes. Haku no sold Race headbutts. Race hit Haku with a piledriver for a near fall. Haku suplexed Race for a near fall. He missed an elbow drop on Race and both men went to the floor. Haku backdropped a piledriver attempt by Race. Race hit a swinging neckbreaker for another near fall. Haku made a comeback by hitting Race with chops but missed a flying splash. Race missed a diving headbutt. Both men got up and Race ran through the ropes but Haku hit him with a thrust kick to win the match. This match was edited off the Coliseum Video release but included in the Royal Rumble Anthology DVD edition He eliminated Rooster and then went after his rival Hercules, whom DiBiase had bought as a slave. Beefcake saved DiBiase and battled Hercules. DiBiase sneaked out behind and eliminated both men from the ring, leaving it to the final five participants – Akeem, Barbarian, Studd, Martel and DiBiase. Barbarian manhandled Martel but Martel was able to avoid a clothesline by Barbarian. He dropkicked Barbarian over the top rope, leaving it to Akeem, Studd, Martel and DiBiase. Martel hit a diving crossbody on Akeem but the big man caught him and throw him over the top rope. Akeem, Studd and DiBiase were the final three participants. DiBiase and Akeem spent some time in double teaming Studd before they quarreled with each other. Studd took advantage and dumped Akeem. Studd and DiBiase remained the final two participants. Studd slammed DiBiase and followed it up with a butterfly suplex. After a clothesline, Studd threw DiBiase over the top rope to eliminate him and win the 1989 Royal Rumble. This made Studd the first man to win a 30 man Royal Rumble (the previous match had 20 entrants). Hogan and Savage then began feuding with each other, which culminated in a match at WrestleMania V dubbed "The Mega Powers Explode" where Savage, who had won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship over a year earlier at WrestleMania IV with Hogan in his corner, would defend against his former friend. Hogan defeated Savage to win the title ending Savage's reign of 371 days. Jake Roberts and André the Giant continued their feud during the rest of the winter of 1989, with the returning Big John Studd becoming involved in their WrestleMania V match as the guest referee. The Ultimate Warrior vowed revenge against Rick Rude for his attack after the posedown, to which Rude replied that he wanted a match for the Intercontinental Championship held by Warrior. Over the next couple of months, Rude would regularly appear at ringside midway through Warrior's matches with World champion Savage, luring the Warrior outside and causing him to be counted out (then afterwards embracing Savage to emphasise the latter's heel turn.) At WrestleMania V, Rude won the Intercontinental title, using outside interference from manager Bobby Heenan to pin Warrior. Rude thus became the first champion in the Heenan Family. The Rockin' Robin Judy Martin match for the WWF Women's Championship match was the last women's match for a championship title conducted at a major WWF pay per view event for nearly five years. Robin left the company in June 1989 and – with little to no interest in women's wrestling at the time – the title was deactivated in February 1990. The title remained vacant until 1993, when Alundra Blayze won a tournament to become the new champion. The Royal Rumble marked the WWF PPV debut of The Bushwhackers, who arrived in WWF in December 1988 after leaving WCW whilst in the finals of their United States Tag Team titie tournament. The Bushwhackers would go on to feud with the Brain Busters throughout the early part of 1989 on the house show circuit. Another PPV debut was former NWA World Heavyweight Champion "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin, who also arrived in December 1988 from a run in the AWA, after the Rumble he and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine would feud where they exchanged televised pinfall victories on WWF Superstars of Wrestling, with Valentine winning a "retirement match" on Superstars. Steve Lombardi would be repackaged as "The Brooklyn Brawler" on an episode of Prime Time Wrestling later in January 1989 where he attacked The Red Rooster on the set of PTW at the urging of Bobby Heenan, which also "injured" host Gorilla Moonson and started a feud between the two.